Hard Truths
by FanWoman21
Summary: Felicity is heartbroken over Oliver's death. She is angry and swears to find a way to make Malcolm Merlyn and everybody else responsible pay. She starts with Thea and reveals a few hard truths that change everything. More hard truths come her way as she tries to keep the city safe. Can love overcome death? Will a miracle happen? Will Oliver find his way home?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Felicity is heartbroken over Oliver's death. She is angry and swears to find a way to make Malcolm Merlyn and everybody else responsible pay. She starts with Thea and reveals a few hard truths that change everything. More hard truths come her way as she tries to keep the city safe. Can love overcome death? Will a miracle happen? Will Oliver not only find his way home but will Malcolm Merlyn finally be defeated?

I am deeply saddened by the mid-season finale and while I did not expect for Oliver to win, because come on it is Ra's al Ghul I feel like they are just using this as well as Sara's death to make Laurel into the Black Canary and I don't like it. It took Sara years of training to become what she was and same for Oliver but yet a couple months of lessons and she's ready? Yeah right. Also I kind of don't like Thea because she basically told her brother, who has been there for her for her whole life, that she would choose her murdering psychopath father over him so yeah she lost my respect completely. I am afraid I might not watch Arrow anymore so yeah. End of rant and now time for the story.

* * *

><p><strong>One<strong>

Felicity felt like she couldn't breath as the tears fell from her eyes. Her whole world had crumbled and it felt like there was no way up. Oliver was dead and he wasn't coming back all because Thea had pretty much let herself be used by her psychopathic father. He had told her that he loved her and instead of saying something she had watched him go feeling happy but didn't believe it at the same time. For weeks he had spent his time claiming his life was too dangerous for her only to say those words she had wanted to hear and then die. She closed her eyes wishing that she could go back to that day and change things but it was too late, Oliver was dead because of a plot designed by Malcolm Merlyn. A new feeling ran through Felicity and she opened her eyes determined. Malcolm was going to pay one way or another for what he had done and Thea would learn the truth about everything. If the young girl was destroyed then so be it, after everything that happened and everything she has done it was the least the girl deserved. Felicity Smoak was no longer the heart of the team, she was a woman out for revenge against the man she loved and God help anybody that got in her way.

~Hard Truths~

Felicity knocked on the door of Thea's apartment, eyes cold and filled with anger. She was done and the loss of the man she loved had been the breaking point for her. The door opened and she saw the girl's surprised face but Felicity wasn't having any of that so she pushed her way inside and turned to glare at the girl before.

"Oliver deserved a better sister," Felicity said making Thea angry but she didn't care she was hurting and tired of the girl's shit.

"Who the hell?" Thea started to ask only to be interrupted and she knew by the look in the blonde's eyes that she had to just let her talk.

"Malcolm Merlyn drugged you into killing Sara and he has a video of it. Your brother, who is the Arrow, went to a duel with Ra's al Ghul. He had twelve hours to take care of his affairs and when he came to see his sister she basically told him that she was going to choose a man that murdered five hundred people with a earthquake machine, probably hundreds more over him. I hope that everyday for the rest of your life that you live with guilt and rot in hell," Felicity finished storming past the girl leaving her shocked.

Thea couldn't believe what she had heard and she was angry but then she actually thought about it. The events of the night that Sara had died had always been hazy so to speak but she hadn't really thought much of it. She wanted to be angry at her brother for keeping secrets but the words that Felicity spoke to her rang in her head. She had lied to her brother countless times, she had been a brat and she had basically told him that she chose Malcolm. The truth hurt and it especially hurt when your were finding out that your brother was dead. Tears fell down her face as she mourned her loss, guilt clouding her mind and vowed to find out the truth no matter how hard it was for her.

Felicity knew that she had been cruel by the tears in the younger girls eyes but she didn't care. Her heart was breaking into a million little pieces and the man she loved was gone. She had so many regrets including the fact that she wanted to go back in time and tell him how she felt. It was too late for that but she would spend the rest of her life bringing justice to the city like he had wanted to do and she knew that she had to be trained. She came into the lair and saw Diggle and Roy there with heartbroken expressions on their faces and it made her want to break down again but she had to be strong, for Oliver.

"I want to be trained," she said rushing over to Diggle looking him the eye.

"Felicity," Diggle tried seeing a look in her eyes that he had not seen since he first began working for Oliver, it was a look of danger, of anger, of vengeance but he also saw determination.

"He's gone and nothing I do is going to bring him back but I will make sure that those responsible for his death including Malcolm and Thea are brought to justice," she saw Roy's look and continued, "Thea may not have killed Sara willingly but she told Oliver not to force her to chose because he wouldn't like the answer. She choose a murdering psychopath over her brother and I hope the guilt eats her alive. I want to be trained and I will be taking over as the vigilante."

Diggle took his time to look at her, to really see the way that she had changed since finding out that Oliver was dead. Felicity was a rambler, kind, but she also stood up for herself and others. She believed in what Oliver was doing and helped make him a better man. She was the light to his darkness but looking at her now, seeing the effect that his death had on the normally bubbly I.T. girl Diggle realized that Oliver had also been her light, her hope. Diggle felt his heart break because now she was angry, vengeful and he knew that Oliver would hate him for this but he also knew that he had to train her because if he didn't then she would go elsewhere and end up dead. Felicity dead was not an option, he had made a promise to Oliver to protect her and he would, even if it was from herself. Little did they know that Oliver wasn't as gone as they thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

Felicity groaned when her back hit the mat once again feeling frustrated with herself for not getting this down quickly. She knew logically that it took years for Oliver, Sara, Nyssa and even Diggle to get as good as they had. Roy was good but he wasn't on par with all of them but still the blonde I.T. tech felt like she was failing and dishonoring the memory of the man she loved. She looked up to see that Diggle was looking at her sternly and sighed as he helped her stand feeling like a failure.

"Hey I may have gotten pretty good from Oliver but Diggle can still kick my ass," Roy offered encouragingly handing her a water bottle.

"Thanks Roy," she stated with a small smile but she knew that her eyes didn't match her facial expression.

"I'm going to go check upstairs," Roy told them needing a few minutes to himself.

Roy came from the basement and walked upstairs until he could see the whole club. He had not seen Thea since Felicity had told her a few home truths and he didn't know if he could handle seeing her right now. He loved her still and he knew that she had been used by Malcolm but he was still angry at her as well. She had lied to him just like he had lied to her and told everybody that she was alone when really she was with her biological father the whole time. He didn't understand how she could forgive Malcolm Merlyn for everything and choose him over her own brother who has done so much for her and that was why Roy was glad he did not see her. He had his own demons in the form of the person he killed when he had the Mirakuru in his system but Oliver had never given up on him, neither had Felicity and he felt his heart break just a little seeing her so angry, so sad but he also knew that Oliver was not the only reason she was training.

"Roy," a voice greeted and he tensed because he didn't want to see her just yet.

"Thea," Roy said turning to look at her and saw the sadness in her expression, the grief but in his eyes it wasn't enough.

"Why didn't you tell me about Oliver?" she dared to ask.

"I don't know Thea. Why didn't you tell me or even Oliver about Malcolm Merlyn?" he asked continuing to step closer to her, "Oliver has done everything in his power to help and protect you, to love you and you choose a man that murdered five hundred people including his own son and drugged you into killing my friend. I don't owe you anything anymore Thea."

Roy hurried away before he took her into his arms because he didn't want her to think he was just saying those things because he was angry. He was angry alright but not just at the fact that Oliver was dead or that Felicity was changing but also at the fact that Thea could do what she had done. Oliver may have lied to her but she lied to him as well so she had no right to judge anyone after she had chosen a murderer over her own brother.

"Roy," another voice called out and he groaned as he didn't once stop hurrying down the basement steps.

"Laurel alert," he warned as he rushed to stand beside Felicity and Diggle not wanting to deal with the woman because she was hypocritical, annoying and always deemed herself high and mighty.

"Where's Oliver?" she demanded looking around and when silence met her she continued, "I need his help training and finding justice for the city."

"You need to leave," Felicity said surprising everybody, "I am sick and tired of you coming down here and deeming yourself Queen of this lair. You don't know anything and Oliver doesn't answer to you. Sara was twice the woman you are and you are not going to take over her mantle. She trained for years with the League of Assassins but you think that just because you are the daughter of a cop and took some self defense classes you have what it takes well you don't. Oliver is dead because he went to fight Ra's Al Ghul and took blame for killing you sister. He didn't but Thea did after she had been drugged by Malcolm Merlyn. Diggle, Roy and I will handle this city, the streets and you will back the fuck off."

Felicity could see that Laurel was about to say something and was glaring at her but she was tired of it. The girl always blamed Oliver for everything but then when things weren't going her way she came crawling back like she could control him. Felicity had been willing to let it go at first but then she had tried to take up the mantle of Canary and she was anything but the Canary. Sara respected everybody here but Laurel never did and it was only Oliver's intervention that stopped the attorney but he wasn't here.

"You heard her leave my club," a voice ordered coldly.

"You murderer," Laurel cried jumping at Thea who quickly dodged the attack.

"I am and it was my own stupidity that made me one. I wanted to believe that my father loved me that he wouldn't lie or use me but I was wrong and it not only cost Sara her life but it cost my brother's life as well but you are not going to come in here and act like you own everything. They have worked with my brother a hell of a lot longer than you have and they have training you don't. Now leave," Thea said arms crossed and her body tensed.

Thea had never liked the older Lance sister and seeing her now just made it that much more obvious on why. She had been angry at first at the blonde I.T. tech for yelling at her but now she knew that everything Felicity had told her was true and Oliver deserved a better sister. It was too late to make it up to him now that he was dead but she would do whatever she could to honor his memory by becoming the woman, the sister, that Oliver should have had. The first step was taking down her father and earning the team's forgiveness. She would worry about everything else after all of that. Little did she know that danger was lurking but so was salvation.


End file.
